Kraken GM Jason Botterill Breaks Down McMann Acquisition, State of Team After Trade Deadline
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Bobby McMann (74) shoots the puck during warm up before a game against the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images [/caption]
SEATTLE — Striking at close to midnight - at least proverbially - the Seattle Kraken acquired Bobby McMann from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick right before the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.
McMann, 29, is a forward on the final season of a two-year contract with a $1.35 million AAV. He has 19 goals and 32 points through 60 games this season, which ranks second-most on Seattle behind captain Jordan Eberle (42 points).
Of course, that production came with superstar Auston Matthews at center. According to Natural Stat Trick, McMann had 238:09 of 5-on-5 ice time on a line with Matthews and Max Domi, the most of any single line combination in Toronto this season.
The Kraken do not have anyone at Matthews’ level, but general manager Jason Botterill touted his new addition’s speed and scoring ability, and also pointed out that his history with coach Lane Lambert — who served as an associate coach with the Maple Leafs last season — should make the transition easier.
“We’re a team that needs to continue to work on getting pucks in the net, increase our shot totals,” Botterill said. “That’s what (McMann) does. And I think we’re a team that wants to continue– when we’re playing well, when we’re creating opportunities, we’re utilizing our speed out there, hard on the forecheck. These are elements that I think he brings and helps our group.”
McMann will not be in the lineup when Seattle takes on the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, as the immigration process will delay things a few days. The acquisition also does not come with an extension in the works. Botterill said the organization will see how he fits in and how he feels about his role and the city itself before determining his status beyond this season.
The Kraken are projected to enter 2026-27 with just over $30 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, and Botterill himself acknowledged the team “certainly has the space” to re-sign McMann, but those conversations – as well as the rest of the pending free agents following Eberle’s two-year extension on Friday – will be put on hold.
“We’ve stayed in touch with their representatives throughout this process,” Botterill said, referring to UFAs Jaden Schwartz, Eeli Tolvanen and Jamie Oleksiak. “Yeah, we could have maybe put some out in the trade market and get some in, but this team’s in a playoff position.
“In previous years, we’ve made some difficult decisions and let some good players go because we weren’t in a playoff situation, and got draft picks back. … We felt it was now a time to use some of those picks and bring in a player like (McMann) here into the mix.”
Outside of the McMann acquisition, it was a quiet deadline for Seattle, which was somewhat deliberate on the Kraken’s part, according to Botterill.
While he wanted to “be aggressive” in trying to make moves that would prop up the team for a potential playoff run, Botterill did not want to make so many moves that he buried the younger talent on the team.
Between Berkly Catton, Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton, and Jacob Melanson all earning roles on the NHL roster, the organization wants to give them room to take strides in their development while contributing to the Kraken’s playoff push.
Additionally, after pulling themselves out of the league basement, where they sat in late December following a 1-9-1 stretch, the current Kraken group has largely earned Botterill’s trust that they have what it takes to be a playoff team.
Since December 20, Seattle is 17-9-3 and hanging on to the second wild card spot in the Western Conference, and Botterill did not feel like he had to make a number of drastic moves in order to improve the team.
“We have good depth throughout our lineup,” Botterill said. “And this is a team that went through a tough stretch in December. Like, the fact that they’ve been able to rebound from that and really take it. I like how we played at the end leading into the Olympic break.”
Once McMann is fully integrated into the mix, time will tell if Botterill is correct.
